Dispensing container



Patented May 18, 1937 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DISPENSING CONTAINER Alfred J. Chamberlain, Wauwatosa, Wis.

Application October 5, 1935, Serial No. 43,786

2 Claims.

This invention relates in general to dispensing containers and more particularly to a novel arrangement of dispensing fitting and cooperable faucets or spouts for such containers.

For some time it has been desirable to utilize metal containers for a number of beverages or syrups, such as Coca Cola, for example, and since the development of practical and effective coatings for the interior surfaces of metal containers which render them inert with respect to the ingredients of such beverages or syrups and consequently suitable for containing such beverages, the desirability of taking advantage of the many meritorious features of a metal container for such use has become more and more apparent.

A practical difliculty in connection with the use of a metal container for such purposes is the inadaptability of metal containers as now constructed foruse with dispensing. faucets or spouts customarily used heretofore.

One of the objects of this invention is to provide a container which is equipped with dispensing or outlet fittings designed to readily cooperate with a suitable dispensing faucet or "spout and to be readily coupled or attached thereto in a novel manner. p

The capacity of the container to be stored, shipped and handled is in no wise impaired and yet the contents thereof may be readily and easily dispensed therefrom, and this with the container in any one of a plurality of desired positions. For example, the contents of the container may be. dispensed therefrom with the container either in an upright position or laid over on its side.

Another object of the invention is to provide a dispensing container and cooperable dispensing spout or faucet arrangement which is simple and durable in contruction, reliable and effec-- tive in operation, easily and readily attached and detached and comparatively inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages reside in certain novel features of the construction, arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part of this specification, and in which:

Figure 1 is a view in transverse vertical section showing a dispensing metallic container embodying the present invention, parts being shown in elevation and the manner in which dispensing spouts may be applied being indicated in dotted lines, all for the sake of illustration;

Figure 2 is a view partly in vertical section and partly in elevation illustrating how a dispensing spout may be coupled or attached to one of the dispensing or outlet fittings; and v Figure 3 is a sectional view showing one type 5 of cap which maybe interchangeably used as a closure for an outlet fitting or as the means which attaches a dispensing spout thereto.

Referring to the drawing, it will be seen that the present invention proposes a metallic con- 1 tainer designated generally at 0. Usually the container is a steel package but it may be a tin can or receptacle. In any event, it has a shell or body'portion i provided with a bottom 2 and a top or head 3. The head 3 may be equipped with a suitable handle 4.

The present invention proposes the provision of a plurality of dispensing or outlet fittings, one designated at F being provided in the head or end wall 3, and the other designated at F being provided in the shell or body I adjacent the bottom wall 2 and on the side of the container opposite that on which the outlet fitting F is located. These outlet or dispensing fittings are of identical construction and differ only in their location. Each consists of an open ended short metal tube 5, one end of which is interseamed with the head or body of the container as the case may be in the manner illustrated diagrammatically at 6 in Figure 2. Aportion of each tubular body is provided with screw threads I to adapt it for attachment with the correspondingly screw threaded part, as, for example, a sealing cap 8, shown as applied to the fitting F in Figure 1. When the container is stored or be- 3 ing shipped and in fact at all times when it is not to be used for dispensing purposes, a similar cap is applied to the fitting F.

Referring now to Figure 2, the numeral Ill des-.- ignates the body of the dispensing spout. While the spout in some particulars may be constructed in various ways and of various materials, it is here shown as being of the wooden spout or spigot type and has a passage or bore ll extending axially from one end thereof to adjacent the other end, this bore ll intersecting a transverse passage or bore I2. The passage l2 may be lined with a tubular cork or gasket l3 suitably held in position and having at one point an opening It in register with the bore II. A valve plug I5 has a working or operative fit in the tubular cork or gasket I3 and is formed at its upper end with a head l6 equipped with a handle IT. The head It is larger than the valve plug and its margin overlaps the body l0 around the 'margln of the opening l2. For a portion of its length the valve plug i5 is formed with an axial bore l8 and also has a peripheral opening is disposed to be in registry with the opening I! and 5 bore II in one angular adjustment of the valve plug whereas it is out of registry therewith in other angular adjustments. It will be understood that flow through the spout or spigot is had when the opening I! is in registry with the 10 opening I4 and bore Ii, whereas when it is out of registry flow through the spout or spigot is cut off.

In order to adapt the spout or spigot for convenient attachment to either of the outlet fit- 5 tings F or F its body is provided at one end with an external or outwardly projecting annular flange which is designed to abut against a gasket 2i resting on the inturned seat or crown 22 of either the outlet fitting F or F. Cooperable with this flange 20 is a flanged screw ring 23 consisting of a tubular or short cylindrical body portion 24 interthreaded with the threads 1 of either outlet fitting and having an inturned annular flange 25 at its outer end which overhangs the flange 20 of the spout or spigot so that when the screw ring is turned up on the outlet fitting it will firmly clamp the spout or spigot in position.

It will be understood that only one spout or spigot is employed at any particular time. When the container is maintained in an upright position for dispensing purposes a spout designated at S in Figure 1 is applied to the outlet fitting F and the cap which ordinarily closes the outlet fitting F in the top or head of the receptacle is loosened up for venting purposes. If the receptacle is laid over on its side a spout S, shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, may be applied to the outlet fltting F, and the sealing cap on the fitting F loosened up for venting.

Instead of the conventional sealing cap 8 which, as is well known, has an end plate or top plate integral with one end of its short cylindrical body, the flanged rings 23 may be employed 5 as sealing caps when the spigots are not in use,

and in such event they are equipped with a separate closure plate 26, the periphery of which is engaged by flange 25 and the other side of which may be equipped with a gasket or dished-like washer 21. When the flange rings are employed for coupling a faucet or spigot in position the plate 26 and its gasket 21 are removed.

Containers equipped with dispensing features in cooperable faucets or spouts as described may be advantageously employed to dispense the contents of the container in various places. They may be readily employed on the back counter of a fountain, either with the container in an upright position or laid over on its side. The spouts may be readily attached or detached and hence the container presents no undesirable projections when it is being stored, shipped or handled.

While the container has the ordinary thin metal wall or wall of the customary gauge, the spout. be it a wooden spout or spigot or a spout or spigot of other type, is readily and eifectively attached.

It is to be understood that while I have described my invention in connection with spouts or faucets generally, it is of particular advantage when used in connection with a faucet having a transversely disposed discharge valve member inasmuch as this construction, by the transverse disposition of the discharge valve member, provides means for effectively maintaining the loose coupling ring member operatively associated with the body of the faucet. Thus the transverse valve member performs the dual function of con trolling the flow of fluid through the body of the faucet and retains the coupling ring operatively associated with the faucet. Were it not for the portions of the valve plug I B which project laterally from the body ll of the valve the screw or coupling ring 23 might slip off of the outer end of the valve body Ill when the ring 23 was disengaged from the fitting F or F to which it is attachable.

While I have shown and described a typical construction in which the invention may be embodied, it is to be understood that the structure shown has been selected merely for the sake of illustration or example, and that various changes in the size, shape and arrangement of the parts may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the subjoined claims.

The invention claimed is: r

1. An article of manufacture comprising a faucet provided with an outwardly directed flange adjacent the inlet end thereof, a stamped metal coupling ring loosely mounted upon said faucet and having an inturned flange overlying the external flange of the faucet, said ring being provided with rolled screw-threads adapted to cooperate with the screw-threaded outlet fitting of a metal container, and a transversely disposed removable valve member carried by the faucet and functioning to control the flow of fluid through the faucet and to retain the coupling ring upon the faucet body.

2. An article of manufacture comprising a faucet body having an outstanding shoulder, a coupling member loosely embracing said faucet body and having an inwardly directed shoulder abutting the shoulder of the faucet body, said coupling member being provided with means adapted to cooperate with the outlet fitting of a container to secure the faucet thereto, and a valve member carried by the faucet body and controlling flow through said body, said valve member including means for retaining said coupling member in operative relation on the faucet body.

ALFRED J. CHAMBERLAIN. 

